CHART News

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4/17/2015 6:09 AM

UNO-CHART is an applied social science hazards research center at The University of New Orleans that collaborates with Louisiana communities including the City of New Orleans and its surrounding parishes. This blog details CHART's activities.

CHART Faculty Associate Pamela Jenkins participated in a research article panel at Loyola University on September 8th. The panel was made up of the contributors to a special edition of American Behavioral Scientist, which explored longer term disaster recovery in the United States through the lens of Hurricane Katrina. Jenkins' article, co-authored by Tara Lambeth, Kimberly Mosby, and Bethany Brown, looked at the role of local New Orleans nonprofit agencies in disaster, and how those local nonprofits can become a part of the disaster management process.

CHART faculty associate Dr. John Kiefer was quoted in the CBS News Article Could 2016 presidential candidates handle a Katrina?on August 29, 2015. Dr. Kiefer's comments were featured in the section on Bobby Jindal. Kiefer commended Governor Jindal for his presence after the disaster, and for the improvements in the hurricane protection system made since the storm. However, Dr. Kiefer said Governor Jindal could have improved the recovery by investing more in social services.

Urban League of Greater New Orleans held Rise Katrina 10, a Katrina Commemorative Conference, at the Hyatt Regency in New Orleans from August 26 to August 28, 2015. The event was open to the public, and featured the release of the publication the State of Black New Orleans, which looks at changes in economics, workforce, health, housing, education, criminal justice, the environment and civic engagement in the ten years following Hurricane Katrina. The conference also featured panels on health, higher education, and the environment. CHART, as members of the Environmental Working Group for the conference, contributed to the environment chapter of the publication, as well as the questions asked during the panels on the environment. More information on the conference can be found at the Rise Katrina 10 website.

LSU-SDMI and UNO-CHART partnered to provide an overview of response and recovery lessons learned since Katrina. The work was presented during a Walmart sponsored event entitled Thought Leader Discussions on Disaster Preparedness, held Friday, August 21st at Gallier Hall. The report analyzes changes in preparedness, public-private partnerships, technology, and the global response to disaster since Katrina. It also delves into the heroes that helped respond and recover after Katrina and other disasters. The report can be found here.

CHART faculty associate Dr. Pamela Jenkins won the Cooper R. Mackin Medallion at UNO's fall convocation. The medallion is well-deserved, and is awarded to a faculty or staff member who has made outstanding contributions in support of the University's mission.

CHART's Assistant Director, Tara Lambeth, presented a poster on CHART's research project Determining Localized Risk Perception and Impacts of Predicted Sea Level Rise to Enhance Stakeholder Mitigation Planning through Visualization tools at the Natural Hazards Workshop in Colorado. In the project, CHART, in partnership with Louisiana Sea Grant, explores ways coastal communities can adapt to sea level rise. Tara Lambeth also presented on the project at the Research to Policy to Practice session entitled Presentations by New Researchers.

CHART held a CRS User’s Group Program for Public Information Meeting for the Flood Loss Outreach and Awareness Taskforce (FLOAT) at the St. Tammany Parish Council Chambers in Mandeville. The meeting was well attended, and many representatives from local homeowner's associations were able to participate.

June's GOHSEP Focus included an article on CHART's Community Education and Outreach projects and the Solution Search Reducing Our Risk: Innovation for Disaster Preparation award given to the Risk Literacy project.

The University of New Orleans Center for Hazards Assessment, Response and Technology (UNO-CHART) won a national award and received a $2,500 prize for an educational program designed to simultaneously improve literacy and disaster preparedness in Louisiana. The award and prize money come from Solution Search, a series of competitions focused on identifying successful approaches to environmental challenges. UNO-CHART’s “Preparing for Storms in Louisiana” risk literacy curriculum was named as a runner up during a ceremony in Washington, D.C. at the Newseum on June 8. Tara Lambeth, UNO-CHART assistant director, attended the ceremony and accepted the award on behalf of the project team.

Monica Farris and Tara Lambeth attended the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) Conference in Atlanta June 2nd through 4th. The conference theme was Mitigation on My Mind, and presentations covered best practices in floodplain management, the Community Rating System, and green infrastructure.